A dozen F-15C Eagles from Barnes ANGB, Mass., and Fresno ANGB, Calif., will deploy to Iceland and the Netherlands in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve beginning April 1. Approximately 350 airmen from the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 131st Fighter Squadron and California ANG’s 194th Fighter Squadron will make up the latest theater security package (TSP) to Europe to deter Russian aggression, according to a release. During the six-month TSP, the F-15s will forward deploy to Bulgaria, Estonia, and Romania, according to the release. The F-15s sent to Leeuwarden AB, the Netherlands, will also participate in exercise Frisian Flag, which is set to begin April 11, according to the Netherlands Ministry of Defense. The first European TSP deployed in February 2015. Some 350 airmen and 12 A-10s from Moody AFB, Ga., ended another rotation—the third rotation of Warthogs to Europe—earlier this March.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
